Windows 10: Windows security crashes when opening protection history

Title says it all. I tried everything that I could. I uninstalled my only other antivirus. I can't, however, access the "scans" folder nor clear it from the cmd. It started about a month after I turned on ransomware protection and I've been manually selecting what to allow and block but now I can't see what's been blocked and what hasn't.

:)

 

Clear Windows Security Center (Defender) Protection History

Did not work for me. After going through all steps I still have protection history full

 

Windows Security app crashes when trying to view Protection History

I'm running 1909. Whenever I try viewing "Protection History", the Windows Security app crashes:

Because of this, I cannot respond to "Ransomware protection" blocks when needed.

I am guessing that something to do with Windows Defender became corrupted. I have already tried deleting "C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows Defender\Scans\History" and rebooting, but that didn't help. I've run "sfc /scannow", but that only replaced ("repaired") unrelated shortcut files I'd deleted previously.

Here are the last few lines of output from Sysinternals Process Monitor, right before the crash:





I created the missing "GEH" directory, and then noticed that the "POF.dat" file was successfully created inside it when I tried viewing "Protection History" again, but SecHealthUI.exe still crashed.

- - - Updated - - -

Now, for some reason, when I get an "Unauthorized changes blocked" message in the Action Center, I can open it, and "Protection history" opens without an issue. But if I launch the "Windows Security" app separately, and try viewing "Protection history" that way, it still crashes.

I'm pretty much out of ideas. Can someone help?

 

Windows Defender Protection History - Unable to remove threat entry

In another thread....